Ischemic Stroke Induces Skeletal Muscle Damage and Alters Transcriptome Profile in Rats

Abstract

To establish pathological features of skeletal muscle post-stroke and to provide a background for promising interventions. Adult male SD rats were selected and randomly divided into a control group, a sham group, and a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group. The tolerance and capability of exercise were separately collected on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after the MCAO operation. The neurological deficits, brain infarct volume, soleus histopathology, mRNA-seq analysis, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and protein expression analysis were performed on the seventh day. Rats in the MCAO group showed that soleus tissue weight, pulling force, exercise capacity, endurance, and muscle structure were significantly decreased. Moreover, the RNA sequencing array revealed that mitochondrial-mediated autophagy was the critical pathological process, and the result of transcriptomic findings was confirmed at the translational level. The mitochondrial membrane potential and the mfn2 and p62 protein expression were decreased, and the Beclin-1, ATG5, Parkin, PINK1, LC3B, and Drp1 expression were upregulated; these results were consistent with immunohistochemistry. This is the first report on the pathological features of limbic symptoms on day 7 after MCAO surgery in rats. In addition, we further confirmed that autophagy is one of the main causative mechanisms of reduced muscle function after stroke.

Single fiber curvature for muscle impairment assessment: Phase contrast imaging of stroke‐induced animals

“…Notably, the non‐impaired rats (control, 1 and 2 weeks) had regular fascicle structures. In a bilateral comparison after stroke, characteristics of muscle atrophy from the 1 week (impaired) group were observed, leading to a decrease in the volume of muscle fibers (Qi et al, 2023). In particular, a qualitative evaluation revealed that the empty space was expanding, as severe symptoms clearly appeared in the 2 weeks (impaired) group.…”

Using HD-EMG to Assess Motor Units in Vastus Lateralis with the Lokomat: A Pilot Study with Young, Elderly and Individuals Post-Stroke

“…This decline in the CSS group might be traced back to several factors, including neural damage resulting from stroke [57], which may lead to inefficient neurotransmission of electrical signals from neurons to muscles. This inefficiency, along with neural reorganization within the central nervous system [58], may potentially cause a decrease in muscle mass [59].…”